1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 19, 20A, and 20B, there has been known a connector which comprises a metal plate 901 including a pair of sandwiching pieces 906A, insulating layers 903 formed on opposite surfaces of the metal plate 901, a plurality of parallel conductive strips 904 thermocompression-bonded to the surfaces of the insulating layers 903, and means for opening and closing the pair of sandwiching pieces 906A (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H09-161909 (paragraphs 0013, 0018 to 0027, FIGS. 3, 4A and 4B, etc.).
The metal plate 901 is bent into a U-shape to form the pair of sandwiching pieces 906A such that they can sandwich a wiring board 905 to be connected. An end of one of the sandwiching pieces 906A is bent such that the to-be-connected wiring board 905 can be pushed under the bent end, thereby being formed with a pressurizing portion 906C. Ends of associated ones of the parallel conductive strips 904 are arranged on a surface of the pressurizing portion 906C, thereby forming pressurizing terminals 904A.
The associated ones of the parallel conductive strips 904 are thermocompression-bonded to an outer surface of one sandwiching piece 906A via the associated insulating layer 903 formed on one surface of the metal plate 901. One end of each parallel conductive strip 904 is bent in a manner liberated from a linking piece 906B, for forming a surface-mounting terminal 904B.
The others of the parallel conductive strips 904 are thermocompression-bonded to an inner surface of the other sandwiching piece 906A via the associated insulating layer 903 formed on the other surface of the metal plate 901. One end of each thermocompression-bonded parallel conductive strip 904 protrudes from an edge of the other sandwiching piece 906A, for forming a surface-mounting terminal 904C. An end of the other sandwiching piece 906A protrudes forward of the pressurizing portion 906C, for forming a guiding piece 906D.
The above-described connector is surface-mounted on a mounting wiring board 907 (see FIGS. 20A and 20B). In doing this, the surface-mounting terminal 904B formed by bending one end of the one parallel conductive strip 904 is soldered to the mounting wiring board 907, and the surface-mounting terminal 904C formed by protruding one end of the other parallel conductive strip 904 is soldered to the mounting wiring board 907.
Further, the means (actuator) for opening and closing the pair of sandwiching pieces 906A comprises an opening/closing shaft 908 rotatably accommodated between the sandwiching pieces 906A, and an operating arm 908C formed on an end of the opening/closing shaft 908 (see FIG. 19).
The opening/closing shaft 908 has an elliptic cross section (see FIGS. 20A and 20B). When the operating arm 908C is operated to rotate the opening/closing shaft 908, a crest 908A of the opening/closing shaft 908 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the pair of sandwiching pieces 906A to expand space between the sandwiching pieces 906A (see FIG. 20A), whereby a gap between the pressurizing terminal 904A on the side of the one sandwiching piece 906A and the pressurizing terminal 904A on the side of the other sandwiching piece 906B is made larger than the thickness of the to-be-connected wiring board 905 (a state where between the pair of sandwiching pieces 906A are open). This makes it possible to insert the to-be-connected wiring board 905 between the sandwiching pieces 906A without any load.
When the opening/closing shaft 908 is rotated from the state where the pair of sandwiching pieces 906A are open, the crest 908A of the opening/closing shaft 908 is moved away from the inner surface of the pair of sandwiching pieces 906A, and a trough 908B of the opening/closing shaft 908 is opposed to the inner surfaces of the pair of sandwiching pieces 906A (see FIG. 20B), whereby a gap is formed between the opening/closing shaft 908 and the inner surfaces of the pair of sandwiching pieces 906A. As a consequence, the space between the pressurizing terminal 904A on the side of the one sandwiching piece 906A and the pressurizing terminal 904A on the side of the other sandwiching piece 906A is made narrower (a state where the pair of sandwiching pieces 906A is closed), and the to-be-connected wiring board 905 is sandwiched by the pair of sandwiching pieces 906A via the pressurizing terminals 904A, whereby the to-be-connected wiring board 905 and the mounting wiring board 907 are electrically connected.
The above-described connector includes, besides the metal plate 901, an actuator formed separately therefrom, as a component thereof, which is a cause of an increase in the manufacturing costs of the connector.